Kids, Guns, and Hunting
According to an article in The Kentucky Post, steps taken to promote youth hunting have raised a debate. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission sets the minimum age children may enrol in hunter education training at 9, increases the age it’s mandatory for the child to pass the course to 12, and drops the requirement of purchasing a “junior: hunting license for children under 12. This has brought about the question of at what age should a child be allowed to hunt with firearms and who has the right to decide—the parents or the government?
Having come from Oklahoma, a state where many children are traditionally introduced to hunting at an early age, and a family that hunts, I started hunting before the age of ten. Granted, every child may not be mature or responsible enough to begin at that early of an age, but it’s surprising how many are. And a deciding factor is the amount of instruction they receive, whether it is by attending a hunting course or the parents passing along what they know.
I personally believe the younger you can introduce a child to hunting and the proper use of firearms, the better. I know, I know. Some of you out there will say but look at all the shootings done by children. And yes, there is a lot, and I consider it a major concern, but I don’t think teaching them the use of firearms is the problem. Not teaching them is the problem.
The number of children introduced to hunting has dropped in recent years. Children are only exposed to firearms in video games and movies, where the proper respect and usage of them is the last thing on the creators’ minds. As a result, when they see a weapon, the only reference they have on its handling and use is what they have been exposed to on film and games.
Having been introduced to firearms and hunting at an early age, I learned the proper respect for a firearm. I was taught every aspect of proper handling and safety. Never once have I picked up a gun and thought it was ok to shoot someone because it’s done in movies and video games. And another reason for that is because hunting taught me the value of life and the hard reality and consequences of my decision to fire a gun at another living thing.
Not everyone hunts, granted, but if children were introduced to hunting, or any shooting sport, at a younger age, I believe many of the problems we see of shootings by children would decrease. And an added advantage is that the children will be introduced to, and maybe continue, the long heritage of hunting. It’s never too young to begin learning to some extent.
I know that many may not agree with me, at least on some points, so I’d love to hear your views.
hunting, firearms, guns, children, safety, news, legislation
January 16th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
I think it’s very important for kids to be introduced to children early. I think that the younger a child can be taken hunting, the better. If more children knew EXACTLY what a gun did to a living creature, perhaps they’d be less likely to use them on a person.
Great article!
January 16th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Great article.
“…and who has the right to decide—the parents or the government?”
One would think that the parent should make the decision. But of course over the years we have seen that the governments have taken more and more control over our children.
Growing up in Switzerland, the country that has more firearms per household than any other in the world. I grew up around guns like kids in other countries around football. We learned at a very early age that firearms are not toys. I believe firmly that the responsibility and accountability taught to us in connection with firearms carried over in other aspects of live too.
I “owned” my first rifle, a .22 Winchester lever action at the age of eight years. At the age of ten I took part in youth shooting competitions. Ultimately it is the parent that knows when the child id ready to handle a firearm responsibly, not the government. Of course governments would have you believe otherwise.
-Othmar Vohringer-
January 17th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Great article raising an important question. I am 65 years young and don’t hunt anymore due to the spread of suburbia. All my ol’ hunting spots now have houses. I started accompanying my dad and older brothers on hunts when I was very young (4 or 5). Through this observation period I learned to love the outdoors and that guns had to be handled with care. I actually began using a shotgun and 22 rifle at around 8…always supervised. Those days are among the most precious memories that I own. The parents know more about their own kids’ ability to handle responsibility than the government.
January 24th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I think that you hit the nail on the head. I believe that most accidents caused by firearms usually happen by those that are uneducated in the proper methods of handling firearms. In school when I was growing up, it was mandatory to take a hunters education class. These classes are great for teaching the basic fundamentals of firearm ownership and wildlife conservation. I started actually hunting when I was 10. In CO that was the legal age to start small game hunting and for me that was a good age. I know that other states have younger ages that children can start to hunt. That is great, but my dads motto was that to be old enough to hunt, I had to be old enough to carry all the equipment that went along with it. I see to often on TV parents leading there 6 and 7 yr old child to the blind with the parent carrying the firearm, then holding the rifle so that they can shoot the animal that is coming to the feeder. That isn’t hunting nor is it teaching proper firearm discipline or responsibitly. I think it is great to take young kids to the field. I have already taken my 6 year old on several hunts so that I can get him interested in the sport. I believe that by doing that, it is teaching him that hunting is not always about the killing, but about the experience.